Facebook is planning to offer newsletter tools to journalists and freelance writers, The New York Times reports. This is believed to include resources to help writers build followers using the social network, organize their email lists and manage their paid subscriptions. Although work on the project is in its early stages, executives hope that the funds can be launched later this summer.
The news comes at a time when interest in newsletters is growing. The Substack newsletter service boasted more than 250,000 paying subscribers to its service in September last year, and just this week, Twitter acquired newsletter rival Revue. Several high-profile journalists have left traditional publications to start independent newsletters, drawn by the promise of complete editorial control over their work and the ability to profit more directly from the subscription revenue it brings.
Facebook has tried to better highlight news sources on its platform. Your News tab is a section of the service that features content from partner media organizations, some of which are paid for by including your articles. While the News Tab has seen Facebook improve its relationship with traditional publishers, the newsletter tools are considered an attempt to court individual writers.
In a statement given to the NYT, a Facebook spokesman did not directly confirm the report, but said the company is working on ways to support independent journalists. “We want to do more to support independent journalists and experts who are building businesses and audiences online,” said Campbell Brown, Facebook’s vice president for global news partnerships. “We are exploring ways to help them benefit from the news products we create, such as Facebook News and subscriptions, while also building new tools to complement what journalists already find useful.”
Given the explosion in the popularity of newsletters, it was only a matter of time before Facebook started exploring the area. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly told his team to make the project a priority after noticing the trend. But joining the movement is unlikely to appeal to Facebook critics. Like Kara Swisher tweeted, “Does Facebook have a new idea or does it need to move all of them?”